10. Create (And Stick To) A Realistic Budget

If you have a little trouble keeping your spending in check, the best resolution is to start keeping a budget. Our recent guide to teaching your friends to budget is also a great tool for getting your own finances on track. (Original Post)

9. Get A Better Education

If you’re starting to feel like your current education level isn’t getting you where you want to go, maybe it’s time to upgrade your qualifications. If you don’t have the time or the budget for an official education, you can always get a pretty awesome education online for free.

5. Learn A New Skill

Whether it’s learning to code, learning to cook, or learning to play guitar, we all have one or two skills we’ve been itching to learn. Chances are, you can probably get a good head start in just a few days, and it isn’t as daunting as you think it is. We’ve covered some of these skills (like programming and image editing) before, but check out our Weekendhacker on learning new skills for more general tips. Photo by Derek Gavey.

1. Back Up Your Data

This is one of those things everyone says they should do, but so few often actually do. We stuck this at #1 because it’s by far the easiest thing to do on this list: with a program like CrashPlan, you can set up a bulletproof, fully automated backup in mere hours that you then forget about, and have your data forever protected. If you’re a heavy smartphone user, you might want to even consider backing your apps and mobile settings up as well, either using Titanium Backup on Android or PKGBackup on iOS.